Happy Easter… SCD & GF Marshmallows

1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.

As I talk over what Easter means with my family, that verse makes it clear to me.  Christ went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.  For You and for me.  Wow!

I know I am two days early… with it being Good Friday and preparing for our Easter celebration, I wanted to share a very special recipe that will hopefully bless Gluten Free and SCD kids everywhere.  Even though our emphasis is more on the true meaning of Easter, we still celebrate with fun traditions.  Food and treats are always a huge part of that celebration.  You will need at least two days to prepare these treats as they need time to dry.  Over at Z’s Cup of Tea is an easy recipe for honey-sweetened marshmallows.  They are made with honey, water, gelatin, vanilla and salt.  That’s it!  She details how to make them by hand, whisking until the marshmallow fluff forms.  I just use my stand mixer and they are ready in no time.  This year, I decided to try making “peeps” for the kids who otherwise will not be able to have the traditional Easter candies.  They turned out great!  On my first attempt, I whipped the fluff too long and the marshmallow setup too fast.  I knew I needed it to be a bit firmer than usual, but I let it go too long.  The second try was just right.  You have to work fast, so have all your ingredients and tools prepped.  Here’s what you need:

SCD & GF Marshmallow Peeps

• 1 recipe Z’s Cup of Tea Marshmallows
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
• Finely shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1 Tbls coconut oil
• Shaped metal cookie cutters, I used bunnies
• An off-set metal spatula, like ones for spreading cake frosting
• 1 Plastic pipping bag, large (you can find these in the Wilton section of most craft stores)
• A few raisins, cut into little pieces

Method:

1. Once everything is ready, make the marshmallow fluff.  While the marshmallow is whipping, sprinkle a good layer of coconut flakes on your parchment lined baking sheet.  Then, grease the inside of your metal cookie cutters with coconut oil and arrange them on top of the coconut flakes.
2. When the marshmallow is just right, immediately remove the marshmallow fluff from the bowl into your pipping bag.  You will want to stand the pipping bag into a tall cup or bowl to accomplish this with the least mess possible.
3. Twist the top of the bag closed and quickly pipe the marshmallow into the cookie cutter molds or pipe into “chick-style” peeps.  As you pipe, the marshmallow will begin to setup, so work quickly.
4. Once finished piping, add the raisin pieces for eyes and noses and then sprinkle more coconut flakes on top of the peeps.
5. Leave these to set in a dry area on your counter for up to 24 hours.  They will be really sticky but will loose some of their “stick” as they setup and dry.  Once dry, carefully remove from cookie cutters.  You might need to cut around the cookie cutters with the off-set spatula to do this.

I used only one cookie cutter for 8 bunny peeps and that was hard.  I would recommend having at least 8 themed cookie cutters ready so that you do not have to stop after pipping each peep.  It was really messy doing it that way!  With my first batch of marshmallow fluff that setup too fast, I pipped out large balls and inserted small lollipop sticks for a “cotton tail” lollipop.  Our youngest really enjoyed having the marshmallow that way!  Another idea that is really easy to do is just spread the marshmallow fluff into a parchment lined baking dish and sprinkle with the coconut flakes.  When it is dry, just cut the marshmallow into smaller cubes with kitchen scissors.  You can even dip the marshmallow into melted, dairy free chocolate (we always use Enjoy Life) if you are not following SCD.

Where ever you find yourself this Easter, I hope you can take time to remember and celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for us.  Most importantly, that He is accessible on a personal level to each one of us if we just seek him.  He promises that when we seek Him we will find Him!

Be Blessed!